Exiting the EU: Consumer protection, competition and state aid

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Series Details July 2018
Publication Date July 2018
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The United Kingdom's National Audit Office published in July 2018 a report called Exiting the EU: Consumer protection, competition and state aid.

This report formed part of the NAO programme of work to examine how the government was overseeing and implementing the UK’s exit from the EU.

Preparing the UK’s legal and regulatory frameworks for consumer protection, competition and state aid for EU exit was a significant challenge, heightened by uncertainty around the future UK-EU relationship and pressure in the Parliamentary timetable, said NAO in the report.

Risks of exiting the EU in these areas related to cross-border issues, such as market surveillance and data sharing; cross-border enforcement; and consumer redress for cross-border transactions.

The NAO reviewed how the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), National Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) were progressing with plans to build the UK’s legal framework, and capacity and capability in these three regulatory areas.

Background

The National Audit Office in the United Kingdom scrutinises public spending for the UK Parliament and is independent of government. The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), Sir Amyas Morse KCB, is an Officer of the House of Commons and leads the NAO, which employs some 785 people. The C&AG certifies the accounts of all government departments and many other public sector bodies. He has statutory authority to examine and report to Parliament on whether departments and the bodies they fund have used their resources efficiently, effectively, and with economy. Its studies evaluate the value for money of public spending, nationally and locally. Its recommendations and reports on good practice help government improve public services. Its work led to audited savings of £734 million in 2016.

In July 2017 the Comptroller and Auditor General of the National Audit Office, Amyas Morse had given an interview to selected journalists, in which he expressed concern that the United Kingdom government had failed to take a unified approach to talks with the EU. He suggested that the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU), the Treasury and the cabinet office had so far failed to take an 'energetic' lead, leaving other departments to set their own priorities.

Morse said he had suggested to relevant ministers and officials that he would like to see a cross-departmental plan on Brexit implementation. This had not yet been forthcoming.

Further NAO publications on Brexit-related themes

+ Implementing the UK’s Exit from the European Union: The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, November 2017

+ Implementing the UK’s exit from the European Union. The Department for Exiting the European Union and the centre of government, November 2017

+ Implementing the UK’s exit from the European Union: Infrastructure and Projects Authority, November 2017

+ Implementing the UK’s Exit from the European Union: The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, December 2017.

+ Implementing the UK’s Exit from the European Union – People and skills: The role of the centre of government, December 2017

+ Implementing the UK’s exit from the European Union. The Department for International Trade, January 2018

+ Exiting the EU: The financial settlement, April 2018

Source Link https://www.nao.org.uk/report/exiting-the-eu-consumer-protection-competition-and-state-aid/
Related Links
ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/
UK: GOV.UK: NAO: Press Release, 06.07.18: Exiting the EU: Consumer protection, competition and state aid https://www.nao.org.uk/press-release/exiting-the-eu-consumer-protection-competition-and-state-aid/

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